Waterville Valley Offers Discounts for Car-Sharers

The only way this deal could get easier is if they also had someone to buckle your boots for you. The Waterville Valley, N.H., ski area is offering discounted lift tickets to Boston-area skiers who show up in a Zipcar. College students will get $30 lift tickets -- everybody in the car is included -- and everybody else gets $15 off their tickets. Ski and snowboard rentals are also discounted to $28 per day.

What's a Zipcar, you might ask? In a nutshell, it's a way to use a car without owning a car. Zipcar members have access to over 6,500 cars in cities and college campuses in 28 states around the country. Say you live in Boston. Join Zipcar, reserve a car (via phone or Internet) for the day, pick up your friends and drive the Prius or Mini or Honda CR-V up to the resort or to Home Depot or to visit Aunt Joan -- gas and insurance included. Our first thought when we heard of this deal? Think of the wicked ski-tune shop you could set up in your empty driveway if you ditched your car permanently.